A monetary deposit given to a lender, seller or landlord as proof of intent. Security deposits can be either refundable or nonrefundable, depending on the terms of the transaction. As the name implies, the deposit is intended as a measure of security for the recipient. Landlords generally apply security deposits as rent from tenants who cannot otherwise pay or use them to repair damage caused by tenants.Security deposits are not considered taxable income. Local laws often treat security deposits as trust funds. Security deposits that are used as final rent payments must be claimed as advance rent and are taxable when paid.
A state-sponsored tax that is added to products or services that are seen as vices, such as alcohol, tobacco and gambling. These type of taxes are levied by governments to discourage individuals from partaking in such activities without making the use of the products illegal. These taxes also provide a source of government revenue. Sin taxes are typically added to liquor, cigarettes and other non-luxury items. State governments favor sin taxes because they generate an enormous amount of revenue and are usually easily accepted by the general public because they are indirect taxes that only affect those who use the products. When individual states run deficits, the sin tax is typically one of the first taxes recommended by lawmakers to help fill the budget gap.
A lien that does not appear in any public record. This is a method used by the IRS to collect unpaid taxes when less dramatic measures, such as sending letters to the delinquent taxpayer, have failed. A silent automatic tax lien is one of two types of tax liens. The other is a federal tax lien, which is public. Also known as an "automatic tax lien". There are four ways to get rid of a silent automatic lien: paying the taxes owed, declaring bankruptcy, negotiating an agreement with the IRS (called an Offer in Compromise) and waiting out the time limit for collections.
A capital gain realized by the sale or exchange of a capital asset that has been held for exactly one year or less. Short-term gains are taxed at the taxpayer's top marginal tax rate.A short-term gain can only be reduced by a short-term loss. A taxable capital loss is limited to $3,000 for single taxpayers and $1,500 for married taxpayers filing separately. Short-term gains and losses are netted against each other. For example, assume a taxpayer purchased and sold two different securities during the tax year: Security A and Security B. If he/she earned a gain on Security A of $5,000 and a loss on Security B of $3,000, then the net short-term gain is $2,000 ($5,000 - $3,000).
A tax year, whether fiscal or calendar, that is less than one year in length. Short tax years occur either when a business is started or the method of accounting is changed. Short tax years occur only for businesses, never for individual taxpayers, because individuals must file on a calendar-year basis and do not have the option of choosing a fiscal year. If a business begins in the middle of May, and the business owner wishes to file on a calendar-year basis, the business will have a short tax year, with income and expenses for only 8.5 months reported on the 1040. A similar situation would occur if the business owner wished to use a fiscal year that began in a different month than that in which the business was established.A short tax year can also occur when a business desires to change its taxable year. For example, a business that reports income from June to June every year decides to change its fiscal year to begin in October. Therefore, a short tax year from June to October must be reported.
A tax imposed on the removal of nonrenewable resources such as crude oil, condensate and natural gas, coalbed methane and carbon dioxide. Severance tax is charged to producers, or anyone with a working or royalty interest, in oil or gas operations in the imposing states. You may be charged severance tax even if you do not realize a net profit on your investment. Certain wells may be exempt from severance tax based on the amount they produce. Different states have different rules. For example, in Colorado, as of 2008, an oil well that produces less than an average of 15 barrels per producing day, or a gas well that produces less than an average of 90,000 cubic feet per producing day, is exempt from this tax.It is important to note that severance tax is different from income tax, and you still have to pay all federal and state income taxes on oil and gas income in addition to severance tax.
A government-imposed tax levied in an attempt to provide funding towards theoretically unifying (or solidifying) projects. The tax acts in conjunction with income taxes and places an additional burden on tax payers, including individuals, sole proprietors and corporations. The solidarity tax is generally calculated based on a percentage of the tax bill. For instance, in Germany, taxpayers must pay an additional 5.5% of their yearly tax bill towards the solidarity tax. The solidarity tax has been introduced in several nations, most notably Germany, whose solidarity tax was utilized to help rebuild eastern Germany. Since the solidarity tax is intended to be a short-term surcharge or supplementary tax on top of regular income taxes, the long-term German solidarity tax has been under scrutiny for being unconstitutional.
The sole proprietor is an unincorporated business with one owner who pays personal income tax on profits from the business. With little government regulation, they are the simplest business to set up or take apart, making them popular among individual self contractors or business owners.Many sole proprietors do business under their own names because creating a separate business or trade name isn't necessary. Sole proprietorship is also known as "proprietorship". There is no separate legal entity created by a sole proprietorship, unlike corporations and limited partnerships. Consequently, the sole proprietor is not safe from liabilities incurred by the entity. The debts of the sole proprietorship are also the debts of the owner. However, all profits flow directly to the owner of a sole proprietorship.The benefit of the sole proprietorship is the tax advantage. The disadvantage of a sole proprietorship is obtaining capital funding, specifically through established channels, such as equity (selling shares) and obtaining bank loans or lines of credit. As a business grows it often transitions to a limited liability company (LLC) or S corporation.